D&D General IRL nominations (historically classic ie religious, pantheonic, folkloric, no newer than 1600) for mythical cosmologies you enjoy including in d&d.

[Oofta]

Right, in Greenwood's home game this was Issek of the Jug from Nehwon. Also in his home game, Nobanion was Aslan from the Narnia books. Later TSR added the overgod Ao, which is a rift on a title of Christ, the Alpha and the Omega.

Isn't another title for Ao also "DM"?

 

[cbwjm]

Isn't another title for Ao also "DM"?

In the novels, I think at the end of the avatar trilogy, Ao reports back to someone else. I thought he was reporting to the DM.

 

[MoonSong]

I am a Christian, but this is a game and I am flat out not getting into any justification about how a monotheistic deity can exist and be correct in a world where there are gods who aren't just disguised demons. It just is all there and it is what it is, and anyone who tries to figure out how it all works is just going to get the Doylist answer of "Because it's fun, and because it's easier than learning all the Faerun stuff."

I have an easier time playing with a pantheon than in any imitation of monotheism. I can just pretend these guys are but demiurges, very powerful creatures, but creatures in the end.

So, my favorites for D&D:
Aztecs
Egyptians

I have problems with Aztec mythology, to begin with because it is almost always taken superficially and causes the greater shared mythology of the Anahuac to be ignored. As conquerors, the Aztecs put their own tribal god over many other more important ones. Thus Huitzilopochtli was ascended to one of the four creator gods in place of either Xipe Totec or Mixcoatl -who was coincidentally considered the father of many Chichimec tribes-. This also explains how they had mutually contradictory myths, they readapted and reinterpreted their own myths and gods according to local myths. Just like Romans did with Greek myths.

 

[Lanefan]

I have an easier time playing with a pantheon than in any imitation of monotheism. I can just pretend these guys are but demiurges, very powerful creatures, but creatures in the end.

I have most cultures in most races being pantheistic but a few are monotheistic:

Orcs: because Gruumsh killed off all the competition
Arctic Elves: because there's only one deity cares about them and in return they only care about one deity
Hobgoblins: because having more than one deity upsets the Lawful hierarchy of the universe
a few Human cultures: largely just to throw a wrench into expectations.

 

[J-H]

I have problems with Aztec mythology, to begin with because it is almost always taken superficially and causes the greater shared mythology of the Anahuac to be ignored. As conquerors, the Aztecs put their own tribal god over many other more important ones. Thus Huitzilopochtli was ascended to one of the four creator gods in place of either Xipe Totec or Mixcoatl -who was coincidentally considered the father of many Chichimec tribes-. This also explains how they had mutually contradictory myths, they readapted and reinterpreted their own myths and gods according to local myths. Just like Romans did with Greek myths.

I know about the 5 different ages, with a different deity over each one, but some of what you mentioned is unfamiliar. Do you have a good link to more info on this that you can share?

 

[MoonSong]

I know about the 5 different ages, with a different deity over each one, but some of what you mentioned is unfamiliar. Do you have a good link to more info on this that you can share?

Most of what I know is either from direct contact with profesors who study it, sources in Spanish and plain growing up in here.

However, I find this site particularly complete Aztec Mythology

It is only missing a few things here and there. If you read carefully, you'll start noticing contradictions, most of them around the properly aztec pantheon. How is the moon both Tecuciztecatl and Coyolxauhqui's head? How is Huitzilopochtli both the last son of Ometecuhtli and Ometecihuatl and the child of Coatlicue by immaculate conception? Why does he suddenly become the Sun God with no explanation? How is Tonantzin the mother of the gods if Ometecihuatl is the literal mother of the creator gods?

Once you start learning more about the panculture of the anahuac, even more contradictions show. The rule of four is very common, however when they are assigned colors, the colors are red, black, white and yellow. The role of Huitzilopochtli as blue Tezcatlipoca is completely out of pattern. More so, he suddenly shifts from creator of animals/plants (It is different depending on the retelling and whether Xipe Totec- agricultural god- or Mixcoatl as Camaxtli -a hunting god- is kept instead) to warrior, bringer of light and sun god. And this is because the aztecs were in essence outsiders and impossed their own gods over the existing pantheon before they arrived and recast some of them in important roles. Not even the other Nahua people worshipped Huitzilopochtli. Sadly, a lot is lost because only the aztec myths were preserved as much as they were. However we can learn a lot because the truly pregispanic codices we know are mostly done by Mixtec tlacuhilli, but the lore to fully read them is lost.